White Lion Lodge Review: Authentic Big 5 Game Viewing Just 3 Hours From Cape Town

There are plenty of places to view the famous African Big 5 in the Western Cape — from game reserves to private wildlife estates, and everything in between. But, there’s no place like Sanbona Wildlife Reserve to experience an authentic, Big 5 safari. Situated just over 3 hours from Cape Town along route 62, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve is home to the lesser spotted white lion, as well as a wide array of African wildlife including Elephant, Cape Mountain Zebra, Cheetah, Eland, Giraffe and more.

Sanbona forms part of an ambitious goal by conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts to re-wild the Western Cape. Located in the Little Karoo, it is one of South Africa’s largest privately-owned nature reserves, stretching across 58,000 hectares of rich protected ecosystems within two biodiversity hotspots.

The reserve was formed when 19 individual farms were rejoined to start the rewilding of the Little Karoo and bring back the wildlife and people that originally inhabited the land long before mass farming started to take over.

Since 2002, the transformation of the land has included the slow process of recreating an ecosystem as close as possible to the way it is thought to have been 300 years ago, giving visitors a vision of the Klein Karoo that its early San inhabitants would recognise. A big part of this process has included the reintroduction of animal species, which, long extinct locally, are known to have once roamed freely among the San.

This was my first visit to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve and what an experience it was. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many game reserves in South Africa over the years, but Sanbona is unlike any wildlife reserve I have had the pleasure of calling home for a few days. Having the privilege to see African wildlife in a Karoo desert landscape was indeed special and the sheer size of the reserve is enough to make many of South Africa’s other wildlife reserves feel like amusement parks in comparison.

The reserve is something completely unique to the Western Cape and beyond fascinating if you’ve previously only enjoyed game drives in the dense, thicker bush like that seen in the Kruger National Park or Kwazulu-Natal game reserve areas. There’s no doubt that visiting a nature reserve of this kind should be on your travel bucket list!

Where to stay in Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

Sanbona Wildlife Reserve offers plenty of different accommodation options, each with its own distinctive style and appeal. For discerning guests who love more intimate, boutique hotel-style accommodation, the 4-star White Lion Lodge is a must-visit. My partner and I spent two blissful nights at the private lodge with owner-manager, Gerry, and her team. Combining warm, home-style hospitality with luxury touches, the privately owned White Lion Lodge is where you go if you want exceptional personalised service and a once-in-a-lifetime African safari experience.

The lodge can be found in the southern part of the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, and feels like it is in a world of its own. Perched atop a hill in a secluded valley, there’s no sign or sounds from neighbouring lodges to detract from the serene bush atmosphere. A greeting on White Lion’s website announces: “Right from the start the magic surrounds you” – and gosh, does this ring true to the White Lion Lodge experience.

Indulge in a luxury bush stay

While a bush getaway may invoke thoughts of ‘roughing it’, at White Lion Lodge, it’s more about enjoying the finer things in life. The lodge offers laid-back luxury accommodation in 4 private suites, exceptional personal service, and delicious cuisine, combined with daily safaris through a 30,000 ha concession of the reserve. While there’s plenty to see in the reserve, I wouldn’t blame you for being reluctant to leave the serenity of your suite.

The individual stilted suites are a haven of glass and thatch, each with its own private wooden veranda overlooking the riverbed. Generously appointed with butter-soft linen, a fireplace, under-floor heating, a separate dressing room, and sun loungers on the deck, the spacious suites are luxury personified. Adding to the excitement, an outdoor rain shower and unique bath-with-a-view transform the routine of daily bathing into an occasion to be savoured.

Even better, each suite feels completely private and self-contained, making it easy to feel like you’ve escaped to your own little paradise in nature. I could have sat for hours on our private deck, enjoying a book and an iced cold drink, had it not been for the lure of seeing our beautiful African wildlife in their natural habitat.

In fact, if like me, you love nothing more than whiling away the hours with a good book, then I would suggest booking an extra night at the lodge to simply indulge in the peace and quiet of it all. A two-night stay was, of course, absolute bliss, but an extra night will enable you to free up a day where there is no personal sense of obligation to adventure out on two daily game drives in the morning and evening, freeing up an afternoon for the sheer beauty of isolation.

Relax and unwind and White Lion Lodge

For those moments when you want to enjoy the serenity of the bush outside of your suite, you can retire to the communal areas in the main lodge building, which includes a shaded outdoor dining deck, indoor lounge and dining room. There’s also an infinity swimming pool with sun loungers and bean bag seating for optimum sun-soaking opportunities. For cooler evenings or days, guests can enjoy a dip in the private wood-fired hot tub, which boasts breathtaking views over the valley. This feature is a magical touch for guests on a romantic getaway, and the team will ensure you have drinks and any snacks you desire to make it a moment to be remembered.

All meals are served in the communal dining areas with breakfast served at a large table on the viewing deck and dinners in the grand, but oh-so-inviting dining room. Breakfast was a relaxed affair with an impressive spread of fresh fruit, home-baked treats, and hot breakfast options including bacon, eggs made-to-order, and freshly baked bread. Gerry makes a great cup of coffee to go along with your breakfast, whether you’re partial to a cappuccino, plunger coffee, or an iced coffee you can have it any way you like it.

Dinner was an opportunity for the team to show off their culinary skills and we enjoyed three-course meals designed to cater to our tastes and various dietary requirements. From soups and salads to game meat and delectable desserts, each night’s dinner menu offered a wonderful combination of flavours, with dishes beautifully presented and executed. The food was plentiful and we wanted for nothing during our stay, with Gerry and her team always on hand to freshen up our drinks or offer up a homemade snack to be enjoyed.

Discover the Karoo safari

Game drives at White Lion Lodge offer something a little different from the ordinary wildlife safari with guests being treated to both Karoo Safaris and at least one Botanical 4×4 Tour during a two-night stay. The lodge operates a “nature-based tourism business” and as such the team likes to introduce guests to the biodiversity hotspots, Fynbos and Succulent Karoo Biome together with indigenous free-roaming animal species, to enable guests to discover what the San saw hundreds of years ago in the area.

Safaris and nature drives are hosted by the incredibly knowledgeable Israel, who is of San descent. Israel’s quiet confidence and wealth of knowledge about the area and wildlife make him an excellent guide when exploring the unique Karoo bush environment.

For these daily bush drives, guests hop into an open game viewing vehicle to check out the fauna and flora of the Klein Karoo. The drives can range from 2.5 to 5 hours, depending on how long guests would like to explore the reserve.

Afternoon game drives through the southern area of the reserve are included in your daily accommodation rate, but morning game drives to the northern area of the reserve are charged at an additional cost. If guests do decide to explore the entire 58,000 ha of Sanbona, then a conservation fee of R1,500 per person, per drive is applicable. The fee goes towards the Sanbona Wildlife and Nature Reserve to protect critical vital ecosystems, endangered wildlife and plants.

Morning game drives include a bush breakfast, with treats like freshly baked homemade rusks and biscuits, dried fruit, nuts, coffee, and more while afternoon and evening drives always offer a stop to enjoy a sundowners picnic with a variety of snacks and drinks on offer. This stop at the mid-way point of the drive is a welcome treat and an adventure on its own. There’s nothing better than sipping on a cup of coffee or a G&T while taking in the incredible Karoo views from one of the many amazing viewpoints within the reserve.

From game viewing to botanical tours

On the Karoo Safari, guests have the privilege of joining Israel as he tracks down some of the many fascinating animals that call Sanbona home. While some may be more elusive than others, like the cheetah, others, like the elephants, Cape Mountain Zebra, buffalo, giraffe, and antelope species are happy to make their presence known to those traversing the reserve.

We had some amazing encounters with elephants and Zebra during our drives with Israel, and on our morning game drive, we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the white lions that Sanbona is famous for. I would highly recommend booking at least one morning game drive to explore the full extent of the reserve, especially if you want to increase your chances of spotting wildlife like the lion or cheetah.

Not any less spectacular, the Botanical 4×4 Tour offers guests the ideal opportunity to soak up the vastness of the Klein Karoo. For this unique tour, Israel takes guests on a drive to explore the historically significant vegetation and botanical secrets of the Renosterveld biome which makes up the 30,000 ha of Sanbona.

Stay at White Lion Lodge

Guests can book a stay at White Lion through the easy online booking system. The current rate per suite (valid until 30 April 2023) is priced at R10,500 per night for 2 people sharing or R8,000 per person, per night at a single rate. The rate includes meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snacks as well as coffee, tea, juice, and local wines, spirits, and soft drinks. The nightly rate also includes a daily sundowner drive through the southern part of the reserve (a 30,000 ha area).

White Lion Lodge occasionally offers specials for nature lovers when booking online through the White Lion Lodge website. Current specials can be found here and include the 2-night Summer Midweek Getaway special (valid until 30 April 2023) at a price of R9,450 per night per suite for 2 people sharing or a single rate of R7,200 per night. The rate includes meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), snacks, as well as coffee, tea, and local soft drinks, wines, and spirits. Included in the stay is a sundowner drive through the reserve each day.

Visit the White Lion Lodge website here and check out White Lion Lodge on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on specials and happenings at the lodge.